7 Incredible Benefits of Ginger Essential Oil

You have likely heard of ginger powder and ginger tea, but ginger essential oil is also a powerful and useful tool for your overall health. With a wide variety of uses and a number of impressive health benefits, ginger essential oil – whether store-bought or made at home is something that every medicine cabinet should contain!

What is Ginger Essential Oil?

Ginger essential oil is the concentrated oil extracted from fresh or dried ginger. Through a steam distillation or solvent extraction method, you can separate the active ingredients from the root, which can be consumed and used in many ways. While the other forms of ginger are good for flavor and as an ingredient in foods, ginger essential oil is the best form to use as a medicine, thanks to its high concentration of gingerol and other organic compounds. With stimulant, antioxidants, laxative, and anti-inflammatory properties, this essential oil is praised throughout the world.

Ginger Essential Oil Benefits

The key benefits of ginger essential oil include its ability to boost heart health, reduce inflammation, prevent chronic diseases, optimize digestion, stimulate the immune system and protect the respiratory system, among others.

Prevents Chronic Diseases

With known antioxidant effects, ginger essential oil will not only help to prevent oxidative stress and chronic diseases but will also strengthen the immune system and prevent infections throughout the body.

Improves Respiratory Health

The soothing, stimulating and antibiotic effects of ginger essential oil are great for healing the respiratory system, soothe sore throats, and eliminate excess mucus and phlegm in your respiratory tracts.

Aids Digestion

Known around the world for soothing stomach and eliminating nausea, just a few drops of this essential oil can improve your digestive processes and you can get rid of cramping or bloating.

Reduces Inflammation

When topically applied with a carrier oil, ginger essential oil can rapidly relieve pain, swelling and discomfort on joints or other sore areas on the body.

Increases Sex Drive

Anecdotally, ginger essential oil has long been praised for increasing libido in both men and women.

Treats Menstrual Cramping

Women can consume small amounts of this oil to relieve cramps, particularly from painful menstruation.

Ginger Essential Oil Uses

There are many ways to use ginger essential oil, including in cooking, topical application, oral consumption, and in aromatic diffusion, among others.

Topical Application

You can blend ginger essential oil with a carrier oil, such as almond or coconut oil, and apply it directly to joints, temples and sore muscles to relieve inflammation. This oil is also used in massage therapy in many areas.

Oral Consumption

Some people consume small amounts of ginger oil directly to soothe inflammation in the gut and general stomach upset. This can also help with respiratory disorders.

Culinary Use

Many people add trace amounts of ginger essential oil to their meals for a nutritious boost, as well as adding flavor to the meal, thanks to the spicy bite of this infused oil.

Diffusion

Using small amounts of this oil for aromatherapy applications, or in a room diffuser, can help you enjoy the benefits all day, but be sure to blend this with other, less potent oils.

How to Make Ginger Essential Oil?

Many people prefer to make their own essential oils, and when it comes to ginger essential oil, it is quite easy to prepare.

While a small amount of this oil is not inherently dangerous, an excessive amount can be dangerous and may lead to bleeding disorders, high blood pressure, low blood sugar levels, gastrointestinal distress and topical inflammation, if you are allergic to ginger or other members of the turmeric family. However, when consuming normal amounts, ginger essential oil is generally perfectly safe.

John Staughton is a traveling writer, editor, and publisher who earned his English and Integrative Biology degrees from the University of Illinois in Champaign, Urbana (USA). He is the co-founder of a literary journal, Sheriff Nottingham, and calls the most beautiful places in the world his office. On a perpetual journey towards the idea of home, he uses words to educate, inspire, uplift and evolve.

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